1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic cameras and more specifically to the printing of images produced by such camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital cameras, digital phones, PDAs and the like which obtain and display acquired images electronically are in widespread use. Digital images produced from these devices are typically stored in memory and these images can be shown on a display so that the user can determine which image should be stored for use in producing hard copy images. Typically, these images can be stored in a magnetic disk or a compact PCMCIA Flash RAM Card. Once stored, the image data is generally downloaded to a separate print apparatus for hard copy production.
More recently, attempts have been made to incorporate printing apparatus into the cameras themselves so that no separate printing apparatus is required. With such a combination camera/printing apparatus, images can be acquired and printed at any location, without waiting to perform a separate image download to other processing and print apparatus.
One example of this type of combination camera and printing apparatus is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,757,388 to Stephenson. This document shows an electronic imaging camera and an ink jet printing apparatus which can be interconnected for use either in combination or apart. In this device, the image acquisition apparatus is provided in one housing, and the printing apparatus is provided in a second separate housing. This device is thus essentially two separate devices with a means for coupling the two together. Another example camera/printing apparatus combination is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,256 to McIntyre. In this case, a single housing includes the image acquisition apparatus and a page wide print head. A separate housing is used to provide sheets of paper, ink, and a power supply for the printing apparatus. Although both of these documents describe combination camera and printing apparatus embodiments, neither is designed to optimize print quality while minimizing the size and cost of producing and operating the apparatus.
In one embodiment, the invention comprises a media pack for a combination image acquisition and ink jet printing apparatus. The media pack advantageously comprises a housing configured for insertion into the combination digital camera and ink jet printing apparatus, a plurality of sheets of ink receiving media contained within the housing, a plurality of ink reservoirs mounted to the housing, and a writeable and readable memory element attached to the housing. In one embodiment, the writeable and readable memory element is positioned on a top surface of the housing. In another embodiment, a media pack for a combination image acquisition and ink jet printing apparatus comprises a housing configured for insertion into the combination digital camera and ink jet printing apparatus, a plurality of sheets of ink receiving media contained within the housing, a plurality of ink reservoirs mounted to the housing, and a service station portion formed by the housing.